car2go Brings a New Way of Carsharing to Calgary

car2go Canada Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will officially launch a new way of carsharing in Calgary, Alberta on Saturday, July 21, making a network of 150 of low-emission smart fortwo vehicles widely available and affordable for those who live in, work in and visit Calgary.

"We are in a time that demands new mobility solutions in rapidly growing urban areas," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go Canada. "Calgary is one of the fastest growing cities in North America, and we are thrilled to be a part of the growth of this city and to bring more accessible, more flexible transportation solutions to the people who live in, work in and visit the City of Calgary."

The car2go carsharing model, when used alongside existing public transportation, serves to substantially reduce the C02 emissions and traffic congestion that are common in densely populated cities. Long term, car2go will play an important role in further enhancing Calgary's status as an environmentally-friendly, livable city.

"Calgary is pleased to welcome this new carsharing program," said Don Mulligan, the City of Calgary's Director of Transportation Planning. "Carsharing provides citizens with another convenient travel option to get around the city and aligns well with the City's transportation plan to increase mobility for Calgarians."

"We are proud to partner with car2go to provide a convenient parking and mobility choice for Calgarians that integrates our ParkPlus technology and their GPS tracking system," said Troy McLeod, General Manager of the Calgary Parking Authority.

Open for Business
Beginning Saturday, July 21, there will be 150 car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles available for people to use and share collaboratively. Those who register to become car2go members will receive a membership card that will allow them to gain access to and drive in any of the available car2go vehicles in Calgary, whenever they need it, for as long as they need it, without having to commit to a return time or location.

Registration is open online at Calgary.car2go.com. For a limited time, all new members who use the promotion code ONWARD will receive 30 free minutes of driving time, and currently the one-time $35 membership fee is being waived.

A New Way to Carshare
car2go provides an entirely new way of carsharing that gives members 24/7 access to a free-floating network of smart fortwo vehicles. It differs from traditional carsharing or car rental companies, particularly in these three areas:

• BY THE MINUTE: Members pay only for the time they use the car, by the minute, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There is no minimum amount of time that a car can be used. Whether a member needs a car for 10 minutes or an entire day, members simply get in and drive for as long as they want, without having to commit to a specific return time or location. Parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees.

• ON DEMAND: Members can use the first available car2go they find, via a smartphone app, via the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com, by calling the customer call center, or by simply locating an available car2go. Reservations are not required because with car2go, members have unrestricted and unlimited access to car2go vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• FREE-FLOATING: Members can pick up and drop off a car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area, which is bordered by 16th Avenue in the North, Deerfoot Trail and Blackfoot Trail in the East, Glenmore Trail in the South, Sarcee Trail in the SW, and Shaganappi Trail in the NW. They can simply drive the car for as long as they need it, park the car in one of the designated parking areas, and end the rental by swiping the card on the windshield reader. Instantly the car becomes available for the next member to use.

Launch Events
car2go is celebrating the launch of its ground-breaking carsharing program in Calgary this weekend. The car2go premier launch event at Holy Grill restaurant will take place Saturday, July 21, and is open to the public, free of charge.

Visitors will receive free lunch, learn how car2go works, receive free registration and 30 free minutes of driving time, and have the opportunity to win additional prizes, while supplies last.

This weekend, car2go will be at the following locations:

car2go Launch Event at Holy Grill
July 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
827 10 Avenue Southwest

Sun and Salsa Festival
July 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kensington Village

For more information or to register to become a member of car2go, please visit Calgary.car2go.com, follow @car2goCalgary on Twitter or become a fan of car2go on Facebook at www.facebook.com/car2go.Calgary.

For media inquires, please contact:
Katie Stafford, car2go Canada Ltd.                                                   
mobile: 512-497-5826                                                            
email: katie.stafford@daimler.com                                         

About car2go
A wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler, car2go offers an innovative mobility solution redefining individual transportation in rapidly growing urban areas by offering a network of several hundred environment-friendly smart fortwo vehicles for rent. It provides an innovative mode of "on-demand" transportation, which complements existing public transportation alternatives by bridging the gaps commonly associated with the "first and last mile" of a public transit commute.

car2go is currently operational in 13 cities worldwide: Austin, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; Ulm, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Dusseldorf, Germany; and Berlin, Germany. In November 2011, car2go launched the world's largest all-electric vehicle carsharing network in the cities of San Diego, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the deployment of 300 car2go smart fortwo electric drive vehicles in each city. In July 2012, car2go will also launch in Miami, Florida. Currently, there are more than 120,000 car2go members worldwide.

The innovation and environmental sustainability of car2go have earned international acclaim: In February 2012, car2go was named the "Best Carshare" by the Vancouver Courier. In September 2010, car2go was recognized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the "Greater Austin Business Award" for its positive impact on traffic in the city. The same month, car2go received the "Clean Tech Media Award" in the category of "Mobility" in Berlin. In May 2010, car2go was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with its prestigious "2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award."

Further information on car2go is available at car2go.com and media.daimler.com/ms/car2go/e.

About Daimler
Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-BenzVans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services.

The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group's focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards
society and the environment.

Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable premium
automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2011, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 271,000 people; revenue totaled €106.5 billion and EBIT amounted to € 8.8 billion.

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